title: Molecular characteristics of cocaine-induced cardiomyopathy in rats.
abstract: Cocaine abuse induces severe cardiomyopathy. To investigate the molecular effects of acute and prolonged administration of cocaine, mRNAs encoding markers of either mechanical overload, as atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) and alpha- and beta-myosin heavy chains, or fibrosis as type I and III procollagens, were quantitated in the left ventricle of rats 4 h after one injection of cocaine (40 mg/kg, n = 7), or 14 (n = 15) and 28 days (n = 10) after chronic infusion of cocaine (40 mg/kg per day). Plasma cocaine and benzylecgonine concentrations were both significantly augmented during the infusion while plasma levels of triiodothyronine and thyroxine were lowered. Acute injection of cocaine induced ANF gene expression. Cocaine treatment during 28 days resulted in left ventricular hypertrophy (+ 20% after 24 days, P < 0.05) with normal blood pressure, associated with an accumulation of mRNAs encoding ANF and type I and III collagens (+66% and +55%, P < 0.05). Such a chronic treatment also induced a shift from the alpha- to the beta-myosin heavy chain gene expression (-40% and +50%, P < 0.05). In conclusion, cocaine activates markers of both hemodynamic overload and fibrosis. Such an activation may result from direct and/or indirect effects of the drug such as myocardial ischemia, mechanical overload and/or hypothyroidism.
authors.affiliation: Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale-Unité 127 and Institut Fédératif de Recherche Circulation, Hôpital Lariboisière, Paris, France.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Besse
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Assayag
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Latour
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Janmot
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Robert
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Delcayre
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nahas
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Swynghedauw
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000378:metabolism*; D003042:Cocaine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D003094:Collagen / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000187:drug effects; D006728:Hormones / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism; D018995:Myosin Heavy Chains / Q000096:biosynthesis; D009294:Narcotics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D006728:Hormones; D009294:Narcotics; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C005618:benzoylecgonine; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor; D003094:Collagen; D018995:Myosin Heavy Chains; D003042:Cocaine